376. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the key measures taken to support postal services since January 2025; his priorities for same for the rest of 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53455/26]

The Government is committed to a sustainable An Post and post office network as a key component of the economic and social infrastructure throughout Ireland. The Programme for Government states that the Government will continue to provide the nationwide network of post offices with funding to ensure their sustainability and enhance the value they bring to local communities.

My Department is working to deliver on this and in that regard, on 13 January 2026, Government approved renewed funding for the Post Office Network over the next 5 years (2026-2030), at an enhanced amount of €15m per annum from my department.

In line with the Programme for Government, the funding will support the stability and sustainability of the nationwide network of post offices, protecting and nurturing a commercially focused Post Office Network. It will also support access for citizens to the key social benefits of the Post Office Network and help citizens access services effectively and equitably.

The Government also agreed the principles on which the funding model will operate, which include:

• maintaining access to the network across urban and rural Ireland, ensuring no community is left behind.

• aligning individual funding with criteria including the degree of isolation and the sustainability of each post office.

• ensuring a minimum revenue threshold for post offices.

• recognising offices of cultural or geographic significance—such as those on inhabited islands or in Gaeltacht areas.

Prior to the 2026 enhanced arrangement, an amount of €10 million per annum was provided over a three-year fixed term (2023-2025) to An Post. An Post dispersed this funding across the post office network, with contractor post offices benefitting from the Government funding with the objective of securing the stability of the Network. The funding was paid monthly for each 12-month period over the term of the arrangement.

It should be noted that An Post is a commercial State body with a mandate to act commercially. An Post has statutory responsibility for the State's postal service and the post office network. Decisions relating to the network, including decisions relating to specific post offices are operational matters for the Board and management of the company and not one in which I, as Minister, have any function. Similarly, the terms under which Postmasters contract with An Post is a matter between the Postmasters and An Post and any negotiations are a matter for both parties directly.